So much so that he's already planning a return trip for himself and his Central Catholic basketball team.

"I'm coming back here," he said to a security guard who happened to be walking past at the moment, oblivious to the postgame interviews going on. "Remember my face. I'll be right back here again."

Dawkins plans on playing with the Cardinals again, and if that's the case there's every reason to believe they'll make a return appearance in the PIAA Class A championship game.

They lost Friday's title game, 43-35 to Sewickley Academy, but they'll lose just one starter off that team and will enter next season as the team to beat, both in Berks and in Class A.

Just think about the possibilities, what with the return of Dawkins, an All-State candidate who has caught the eye of Philadelphia coaches Phil Martelli of Saint Joseph's and Fran Dunphy of Temple.

And of 6-7 sophomore Donovon Jack, whose game has grown by leaps and bounds, and figures only to get better as he continues to get stronger. Martelli, Dunphy and others are watching him, as well.

And don't forget about 6-2 sophomore Marquis Marshall, who has shown a penchant for big-time performances. He was at his best last month, facing Reading High, his father Donyell's old team. And he was at it again Friday, unaffected by the pressure of a big-time game in a big arena.

Afterwards he admitted to be a little nervous but didn't show it as he kept his team in it with 15 points.

They'll team with Joey Rys, the fourth returning starter, as well as some other promising young players - Justin Ashcroft, Andrew Hoffa and Adonis Fleming among them - to form a team that figures to be more skilled, and certainly deeper, than the one that won 30 times this season.

Matt Doyen, the lone senior starter on the District 3-A champs, can't wait to see what unfolds with this team.

"I'm gonna definitely keep tabs on them next year," he said. "I'll be excited to see where they go. It's scary. They're gonna be more experienced; they're gonna know what it takes to win this game. It's exciting for them. It'll be exciting for me to watch them grow."

And to play for another state championship?

"It's a possibility," Doyen said. "If they play the way they can, it's a definite possibility."

The Cards didn't necessarily play their best Friday in what turned out to be the lowest-scoring PIAA Class A boys championship game ever (and the lowest-scoring boys championship of any class since Erie Cathedral Prep beat Hazleton 41-30 in 1993).

Dawkins was certainly off his game. He didn't get a single shot in the first quarter, and after opening the second with a 3-pointer he didn't score the rest of the day before fouling out with 7½ minutes to go.

He didn't have an assist the whole way, a telling stat for a guy so good at distributing the ball and lifting his teammates.

Jack was far from his best. Give the Panthers credit for that as they kept a couple bulky bodies on him the whole way. Still, he missed each of his three free throws in the final quarter - uncharacteristic for a guy who's been so smooth at the line.

Just two Central players scored in a second half that saw the Cards product just nine points. Again, give the Sewickley guys credit for that. No one else had been able to do that to Central.

In fact, only one other team (Holy Name) had held Central below 50.

Considering that this Central team was so young - Doyen was their only return starter, and senior starter - and that they had so many new parts that needed to mesh - Dawkins transferred in from Reading High, Marshall from Muhlenberg - a run to the state final was quite an achievement.

"I think we had a great year," said Central coach Snip Esterly. "Right now we have our heads down. Once the pain goes away we're gonna realize what a great season we have.

"I mean, we have two losses: One to a state champion, the other to the Quad-A district champion, Reading High (in the Berks Conference quarterfinals). It's been a great year for us."